Like a Raven in the Snow (Technoblade X Oc/yn)

Chapter 7

Down from the skies, I came to check your rage, if only you will yield…

The small child woke up tired. It had taken her a moment to collect her memories of where she had woken up. A wagon, pulled by a single horse, slowly moved over a rocky path, making the wagon shake from time to time as if it was whining about the long journey. 

An old man sat on the wagon's edge, holding the horse's bridle. His posture was slouched as the man seemed to be tired; the same feeling reflected in his eyes as he stared into the distance. Next to him sat a woman who, just like the man, seemed to have seen better days. She calmly laid her hand over the man as if to assure him that things would get better soon and they will be able to rest one day. 

The child finally lifted herself, pushing the rags that served as a blanket aside and rubbed her tired eyes, hoping she would be able to see her surroundings much better. The old couple and their child had been moving for days on end, only taking small breaks to feed their stallion or fix up the poor, falling-apart wagon. They did not know where they were going; the goal had not been set, but the girl noticed cities with church bells ringing in the distance and the laughter of the children. She didn't hope to live there; she didn't wish to be around kids her age. Her only hope was to stay in these places for just one night to rest and let her parents regain their strength. 

Finally, after moments of hesitation, she got up on her feet, careful not to disturb the wagon, and wrapped her hands around the exhausted man, who seemed in need of a warm hug from his last child. His cheeks puffed up from the smile that the girl knew was forced, and his wrinkled hand cupped the child's in an assuring manner.

“I see our sweet angel is finally awake.”

'Sweet angel' was the nickname the old man had given to his child, but the girl knew it was far from the truth as she had to face being a burden to her parents from a young age. Nevertheless, she smiled in return and hugged the man tighter, not saying a word, almost like she thought she would offend them by making even a sound.

“We have to drive for a little longer, and then we can stop for a break,” her mother assured, but the child could sense the pain in her voice. 

Guilt settled in the child's heart as she sat back down. Her small, black hands dipped into the scrunched-up rags and pulled out a stuffed animal - a small pig that seemed to lose its bright pink color day by day and gone through fire and hell, judging from the burn marks and loose seams. Her hands pushed the poor animal against her chest, attempting to calm and comfort herself. 

She was so young, yet the world demanded for her to grow up so fast. She knew of her parents' grief and pain, and she knew that the reason for it was her. The poor couple had hoped for a child after losing one after another, yet their happiness was cut short as the child gifted to them by gods was one who bore a curse. Hair as dark as the night accompanied by a small set of wings and hands drenched in black ink, they couldn't be more horrified. However, on the day of the child's birth, they promised each other to love the child just like they had loved the previous ones, but fate would make the task more difficult.

Word of a cursed child spread fast throughout the kingdom, and the couple already despised the place, but when people showed up with torches and pitchforks, demanding that the couple give away their child, they fled and never returned. The three of them traveled far and wide, looking for a place to call home, where no one would be frightened by their child, but they would learn quite quickly that no place like that existed. 

People called the poor girl a ‘witch’, and while her parents called her an angel, a blessing, she knew she was nothing but a curse. The child quickly learned to hate the gods and their mortal creations and hoped to give her parents more than the Gods could ever offer.